@8:50, 3/11/14

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1

N.Y. / Region

In Latest Metro-North Accident, Worker Is Fatally Struck by Train in East Harlem

By MATT FLEGENHEIMER | Mar 10th 2014

The man was working on the tracks at 106th Street and Park Avenue early Monday morning, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Railroad Accidents and Safety; Deaths (Fatalities) 

Slums are never cheap.

 

2

Fashion & Style

Celebrities Behaving Well

By TEDDY WAYNE | Mar 7th 2014

The days of our unqualifiedly celebrating the rowdy, libidinous, self-destructive artist may be drawing to a close.

Celebrities; Computers and the Internet; Drug Abuse and Traffic; Smoking and Tobacco; News and News Media; Writing and Writers; Sex 

I believe it is the art that is celebrated.

I have to admire those that can live the bohemian life and create powerful

art.  

It is not a life I can or want to lead.

For me art is a default position.

3

N.Y. / Region

Costs Have Piled Up Along With the Snow of a Difficult Winter

By WINNIE HU and NATE SCHWEBER | Mar 7th 2014

A long, cold and snowy winter has brought a flurry of extra expenses for car repairs, higher heating bills and replacement of lost mittens, expenses that have piled up along with the snow.

Winter (Season); Snow and Snowstorms; Heating 

Talk or write.

 

4

Sports

Maryland Upsets Virginia on Its Way Out of A.C.C.

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | Mar 9th 2014

Before a capacity crowd in its final Atlantic Coast Conference home game, Maryland defeated No. 5 Virginia in overtime.

Basketball (College) 

Connecticut has been winning and is undefeated.

 

5

Your Money

An Aging Population Also Poses Opportunities for Retirement Careers

By KERRY HANNON | Mar 7th 2014

One increasingly popular niche for those who want to be their own boss are jobs that target people who want to stay in their own homes, rather than move to an assisted living facility.

Elderly; Massage; Retirement; Careers and Professions; Longevity; Personal Finances 

I have no intention of engaging in these activities as other than an amateur. 

I will retire at 70 when the benefits stop growing.  

I have signed up for Medicare A & B.

 

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I need some verbs and other context.  More words.

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6

Business Day

Sharply Criticized by Government, Head of the Central Bank of Cyprus Resigns

By LIZ ALDERMAN | Mar 10th 2014

Panicos Demetriades, chief of the Bank of Cyprus, quit amid tensions with the Cypriot government and an investigation into his handling of a bailout last year.

European Sovereign Debt Crisis (2010- ) 

Panicos Demetriades did as his lenders required.

He then lacked the confidence of all parties to the bail out.

He has "retired from the field" to teach and write.

7

World

Release of Syrian Nuns Was Part of a Hostage Swap

By ANNE BARNARD | Mar 10th 2014

The Syrian government freed a group of detainees that included women and children in exchange for the nuns’ release by insurgents.

Nuns; Defense and Military Forces; Detainees; Hostages; Middle East and North Africa Unrest (2010- ) 

There was a price.  The Nuns were hostages. 

It is late for Assad to try image repair.

 

8

U.S.

California: Migrants Stage Another Border Protest

By JULIA PRESTON | Mar 10th 2014

In a protest against deportation policy, about 30 foreigners went to the Mexican border to ask authorities to allow them into the United States.

Immigration and Emigration; Deportation 

The G.O.P. will not allow these people in.

 

9

Real Estate

Financing for Foreclosed Homes

By LISA PREVOST | Mar 6th 2014

Buyers looking for a deal on a foreclosed property may find the best deals from Fannie Mae.

Real Estate and Housing (Residential); Foreclosures; Mortgages 

I have no objection to a foreclosed property.  Get Title insurance.

 

10

Sports

U.S.C. Keeps Stanford From Final, A First for the Pac-12 Tournament

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | Mar 8th 2014

The Trojans beat No. 4 Stanford, the seven-time defending tournament champion, in the semifinals, 72-68.

Basketball (College) 

The Huskies are not playing today.

11

Dining & Wine

Rewriting the Menu in Tulum, Mexico

By JULIA MOSKIN | Mar 10th 2014

The chef Eric Werner is inventing food that is avant-garde and ancient, global and local, at his restaurant Hartwood in Tulum.

Restaurants; Agriculture and Farming; Local Food; Chefs 

I cook what is available.

I cook because mother does not and should not.

I have only a few rules:

No added fructose.  Some in fruit and vegetables is unavoidable.

Minimize the salt.

Avoid hydrogenated oils.

Aim for delicious.

 

12

Business Day

Growth Hurt by Bad Weather, Fed Says

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | Mar 5th 2014

Eight of the 12 Fed districts reported modest to moderate advancement.

United States Economy; Weather; Labor and Jobs; Factories and Manufacturing; Real Estate (Commercial) 

I would like to believe growth has been hurt by bad weather.

Bad fiscal policy seems a more likely cause.

 

13

World

A Rare Government Success Story for Women's Empowerment in Kerala

By VISHNU VARMA | Mar 7th 2014

From a few thousand women, the Kudumbashree program in the southwestern state of Kerala has grown into a giant community enterprise with 3.7 million members.

Agriculture and Farming; Indian Rupee (Currency); Poverty; Women and Girls; Women's Rights 

Conditions will have changed when dower becomes bride price.

 

14

World

To Change India's Preference for Sons, Start With the Women

By CAROL VLASSOFF | Mar 6th 2014

The author of “Gender Equality and Inequality in Rural India: Blessed With a Son” says her studies show that using education and employment to help girls get on an equal footing with sons would help reduce gender bias.

Birth Control and Family Planning; Families and Family Life; Gender; Labor and Jobs; Rural Areas; Women and Girls 

This helps very slowly.

A faster way is the provision of gender selection.  Earlier is better.

Let the mother in laws drive up the value of women.

Sons must have wives to produce sons.

15

N.Y. / Region

Even Before Fort Lee Lane Closings, Port Authority Was a Christie Tool

By KATE ZERNIKE and MATT FLEGENHEIMER | Mar 11th 2014

A review of the Port Authority’s operations suggests that it had been turned into a de facto political operation for Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey long before the bridge scandal.

George Washington Bridge 

For Christie everything is a potential political tool.

Self incriminating testimony can be had for a grant of immunity.

We will see the politics of the prosecutor.

 

16

Opinion

Just Right Inequality

By THOMAS B. EDSALL | Mar 4th 2014

Where is the line between innovation and economic development on one hand and the creation of a permanently disadvantaged class on the other?

Income Inequality; Income Tax; Economics (Theory and Philosophy); United States Politics and Government; Executive Compensation 

Thomas B. Edsall Can and does quote many.  

His conclusion is there will be no change under the present circumstances.

The circumstances are changing.

The rich will be taxed.  

17

Technology

Microsoft Pins Xbox One Hopes on Titanfall, a Sci-Fi Shooting Game

By NICK WINGFIELD | Mar 9th 2014

The company is betting that a new game, Titanfall, will be enough of a hit to improve sales of the Xbox One and secure its influence in the video-game market.

Xbox One (Video Game System); Computer and Video Games; PlayStation 4 (Video Game System) 

I do not live in the gamer world.  

My impression is that console computer games have not aged well.

http://www.worldcon.org/

http://www.loncon3.org/

http://www.lonestarcon3.org/program/

18

Opinion

In Nigeria, Politics Isn't Local

By ADEWALE MAJA-PEARCE | Mar 9th 2014

Community finances are held in the grip of the states, which are controlled by the federal government.

Politics and Government; Economic Conditions and Trends 

"At the bottom of all this rests the debilitating fact that politics in Nigeria is the most lucrative game in town, thanks to the great fortune of crude oil that fills the nation’s coffers without anybody lifting a finger. Lamido Sanusi, the Central Bank governor who was suspended last month after announcing that $20 billion from the proceeds of oil sales is unaccounted for, put it best in a celebrated speech in January: “The fundamental character of the Nigerian state is that, for decades, since we found oil, it has existed not to serve the people but as a site for rent extraction to serve a tiny minority in the country’s political power.”"

"God is never far from the lips of Nigerians. But if we agree with the adage that God helps them who help themselves, it must be even truer in a country that has been blessed with abundance — of which oil is only the beginning. If Nigerian democracy is to be cleaned up, if indeed, the country is to survive, then reform must start at the local level, with people demanding honest government and a fair share of the national wealth. How and when they will begin to act to accomplish this, only God knows."

The government exists for graft.

 

19

World

North Korea Tests Rocket Launcher With Range Beyond Seoul, South Says

By CHOE SANG-HUN | Mar 4th 2014

Four rockets were launched from the coastal city of Wonsan, flying 96 miles before crashing into the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, a South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman said.

Defense and Military Forces; Military Bases and Installations; Missiles and Missile Defense Systems 

North Korea exists because China wants the buffer it provides.

Their political structure is autocratic and military.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autocracy

I call it stable but fragile. It is vulnerable to decapitation. 

20

World

Thieves in Gaza Go Where Money Is, but Hamas Quickly Gets It Back

By FARES AKRAM | Mar 10th 2014

Masked gunmen robbed a post office in Gaza City on Monday, stealing what local news reports said was the equivalent of about $500,000.

Palestinians; Robberies and Thefts 

A primitive economy.  All cash.

The theft will cost each of these men a hand.

The quick capture indicates an organized society.

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Just exhaustion.